The Shadow #18

The final confrontation continues! The Shadow and the Light face one another high above the streets of New York and they fight to defend their different moral codes. Since the start of this story, that has been what has put them at odds and what led to this final moment. Neither one of them appreciates how the other taints what they stand for and Roberson does an amazing job of emphasizing what that is. This issue is the most intense and you will find it very exciting from start to end.

The stakes are high and everybody is in on the action including the police. The time for solving mysteries is well passed and all that is left is justice. What I like is the tension in the air, it’s so think you could cut it with a knife. You can tell how much they hate each other and it plays into how they take each other on. Like how the Shadow questions Light’s hypocrisy of killing for the greater good when most cases death is uncalled for. The dialogue is just amazing as you see them talk of their past, and what defined the path they took to this point. You even feel sympathy for the Light, she has good intentions, and she didn’t have the best childhood, but it’s just her approach to doing good that keeps you from supporting her actions.

Aside from this, the action sequences were just awesome. Seeing their prowess in combat and even in the mystic arts. You forget what the Shadow can do such as making himself unseen, and the Light being able to counter it is just genius.

Overall this was an epic conclusion to the Shadow vs the Light. Timpano’s focus on light and dark emphasized the story being told. From Esclarmonde’s past, to the glow that radiates from her and the Shadow when face to face. Again I have to mention the layout of the panels which really makes the book very appealing, not something you see in other books that often. Funny enough Margo said what I was thinking throughout the whole issue, while they were fighting over what they stand for, a lot of it was debating. In reality that is the type of thinking that separates heroes from villains. If you are a fan of a great pulp story, or just The Shadow in general, this is a must read and one of the best that Dynamite has to offer.

Score: 10/10